Even though there is no Fashion Faculty or Department at UI, the Fashion Club is included in Student Activity Units on campus. It becomes a forum for talents to be explored besides students’ academic activities. They hold the biggest fashion week for universities in Indonesia annually.
University of Indonesia Fashion Week (UIFW) 2024 was held on Saturday (20/01) at the Mandiri Museum, West Jakarta. This prestigious fashion event brought a theme, “Resilient Threads: Weaving a Conscious Fashion.” In its 12th year, UIFW 2024 aims to raise youth awareness regarding the fashion industry in Indonesia, which is inclusive and sustainable in terms of environmental, social, and economic.
Members of the UIFW 2024 are committed to spreading an important issue that is often overlooked: moral obligations in the fashion industry. “We brought this theme to build resilience amidst a conscious fashion industry. In facing the challenges, we believe that sustainability is not an option, but rather a responsibility that every individual must fulfill,” said Ajeng Regita Putri, Deputy Project Officer of UIFW 2024, student of the Criminology Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UI.
In a press conference on Friday (19/01) at the Mandiri Museum, she revealed that the responsible and sustainable fashion industry is currently developing. As agents of the future, the youth are aware of the dangers of the fast fashion industry, such as the textile industry that changes clothing models in no time and uses poor raw materials that do not last long. The fast fashion industry is not concerned about the disadvantages to the environment and the safety of exploited workers.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) stated that one truck is filled with textile waste every second because people buy 60 percent more clothes but use them for a short time. Furthermore, clothes produced by the fashion industry are made from polyester, a synthetic fiber containing plastic. Thus, clothing waste can pollute water, especially if it contains dangerous dyes. UIFW 2024 seeks to fight fast fashion by curating sustainable designer collections.
The main event of UIFW 2024 was enlivened with fashion runways from 17 local brands created by young Indonesians and divided into four segments. Deputy Project Officer of Concept UIFW 2024 and student of the Information Systems Study Program, Faculty of Computer Science UI, Muhammad Nafriel Ramadhan, said, “We invite 17 local fashion brands produced in Indonesia to support the economy of the country’s fashion industry. Especially in the second session, Legacy, we focused on local brands that highlight traditional Indonesian styles that prioritize sustainability.”
The first session, Serenity, featured Bata, Cover Me Not, RTW Studio, and Sevature. The second session, Legacy, featured fashion collections from the brands Kamdem x NATIVFineLabel, Tjah Ayoe by Riana Kesuma, Studio Ikaten, and Derma Express × Kursien Karzai. Next, the Authenticity session presented Noie Studio, Pleatsssi, Bertjorak, and ESMOD Jakarta. Finally, at the Chimerical session, UIFW 2024 presented the audience with stunning collections from Andrean NR x Nouvelle, DIBBA, YOVINDA, Lockdowns, and La Douche Vita.
These clothes were shown by the Top 56 models who had been selected by 2ICONS, a modeling agency that collaborates with UI Fashion Week 2024 in the UIFW Model Hunt competition. The diversity of ethnicities, body shapes, and personalities of the models walking on the runway reflects the value of inclusivity presented by UIFW 2024. This year, the Faculty of Psychology UI student, Sadrina Sabahati Alamsyah, won 2nd place at the UIFW Model Hunt.
Besides the Model Hunt, UIFW 2024 also had a series of events for the last 8 months. The event included a Crochet Workshop at Ganara Art Space Plaza Indonesia in October 2023, Photoshoot Sessions, Runway Practices, External Roadshow, Talkshow, and the Main Event. The main event had a bazaar of different fashion brands, perfumes, and local food and drinks. UIFW 2024 is supported by several official partners and sponsors, including Steir Kanan, Bata, The Palace Jeweler, Wardah, and Make Over.
